


Trying My Best (Is It Working?)

by Harle_Queen



Series: Matilda/Drea One Shots [2]
Category: Everything's Gonna Be Okay (TV 2020)
Genre: Canon Autistic Character, F/F, Family Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Movie Reference, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Relationship Advice, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24956395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harle_Queen/pseuds/Harle_Queen
Summary: Matilda realizes that even though her and Drea's romantic relationship was going well, they haven't had a proper date yet. Away from their families, love song playing, the whole thing. Enlisting the help of her half-brother/guardian, she sets out planning a date catering to both of them.
Relationships: Drea/Matilda Moss, Matilda Moss & Nicholas Moss
Series: Matilda/Drea One Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697509
Kudos: 6





	Trying My Best (Is It Working?)

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, still hooked on these two. If you want to follow me and send me prompts about these two, my tumblr is @let-me-dream-with-the-stars. Thank you!!

Matilda felt... happy. 

It was always hard for her to properly define her feelings, yet she was sure she was happy regarding her and Drea. They still had fun together, they were able to communicate with each other about their sensory issues and emotions, they were able to solve little arguments they had with a little bit of help - things were more than okay, Matilda thought as she ate her lunch during school.

The taste of the fig bar distracted her for a little bit, taking a glance at her girlfriend next to her. Drea was meticulously peeling her apple, making sure she got all the hard exterior off. She had her noise-cancelling headphones on, so she was only focused on her food, but Matilda didn't mind in the slightest. She knew that couples usually liked watching the other do normal things and she could see the appeal in it, being able to watch Drea's face in unashamed concentration. The teenager remembered reading a study that told how the brain perceived things as more beautiful when there is a deep and intimate connection with the thing; Matilda would have to agree that she found Drea far more beautiful than she initially thought once she realized she loved her.

The seventeen year old went back to eating her food, now feeling that weird sense of unfulfillment again. It was really the best way to describe this: like there was a missing piece of the puzzle, something that needed to be there. Matilda knew it was about her and Drea, but what? 

Her eyes moved around her carefully laid out lunch on her desk, then fell upon her saltine crackers. It was pretty much the only kind of chip she liked, a plain yet salty taste. She looked back over to Drea and remembered how she liked them too. 

She firmly tapped her girlfriend's shoulder, Drea looking around until she saw Matilda, "Hm?"

"Do you want some of my saltines?" She asked while holding out the little baggie.

"Let me finish peeling my apple first." She said, Matilda nodding her head in understanding. Once Drea finished getting all the apple crust off, she grabbed a couple of the saltines and mumbled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, babe." Matilda smiled back and started eating her own crackers. Whenever she remembered to do something romantic or kind, she always tried to do it since that was what being a good girlfriend was about. Sharing food was something strictly between them, being comfortable enough to touch something that was theirs after asking. It was really nice, Matilda thought... along with eating food together...

_A date!_

They haven't gone on a proper date yet!

Matilda's hands started shaking at her sides, thinking about this sudden realization. While they have hung out at each other's houses before and done things that would be considered dates, they technically haven't gone out on a proper one yet. This wasn't right, they were a couple and they haven't done this!

"Can I go calm down for a couple minutes?" She called out to her teacher and they let her go, Matilda ignoring everyone around her. The seventeen year old rushed through the crowded halls, every noise and bright lights slowly starting to build up around her until she finally arrived at the auditorium. She ran up to the piano that's always there on stage and started banging out a song she was familiar with, letting the music and keys on the instrument bring her back to stability. 

In the peace of the large room, she could start getting her mind back to the situation. So they haven't had a proper date yet, so that's pretty easy to solve. All they have to do is get either Drea's parents or Nicholas to drop them off somewhere they chose, then they can have their date... but what would the date even be?

Matilda went back to playing.

The teenager could figure out the details later. For now, she'll write her idea of a date down on her phone so she can start planning there, then go back to class.

Once she completed the song, she stood up and quickly made a note on her phone. Then she left the auditorium and headed back to class, keeping the date idea in mind.

* * *

It's now been three hours and all she had on her phone was a whole bunch of crossed-out ideas and one note saying 'Bring Money'.

She was genuinely looking forward to brainstorming, rushing home after school so she could complete all her homework beforehand. But every idea she came up with for an activity were scribbled out as she took into account Drea's autism and Crohn's disease. The teenager's hands were repeatedly slapping her outer thighs, a common stim she did when stressed. 

She knew she needed to approach this differently, so she went outside her bedroom door and called out, "Nicholas, I need you!"

"Okay, give me a moment!" He yelled back. The seventeen year old went over to her bed, sat down and started lightly bouncing, the sensation keeping her mind occupied on something instead of her current dilemma. 

A minute later, her half-brother entered while wiping his hands on his jeans, "Yeah, what's up?"

"I want to plan and go on a date with Drea, away from everyone else." He stated, still bouncing and slapping her thighs. 

"Oh, lovely!" He exclaimed. Matilda moaned in response, "It's not, because I don't know what we should do."

"Oh, not lovely." His smile dropped, "Well, can you tell me some date ideas you came up with?"

"Well, I first thought about different restaurants," the teenager picked up her phone and read her extensive note, "Fancy ones and diners like what I've seen, but I know Drea hates having to talk to the waiters. I also thought of that local community fair that happens every week but there would be too many people around. I also thought about different activities we haven't done, like ice skating where we hold onto each other, but it would be the same problem. They are all the same problem and I don't know what to do!"

Matilda groaned and flopped down on her bed. She took a glance at her half-brother, him with a deep frown on his face, so she assumed he was thinking. Finally after a moment, he said, "Well, all the ones you mentioned I have seen in a lot of straight movies."

"Well, yeah," she sat back up, "that's where I got my ideas."

"What about something completely original? Something that isn't from a trope."

"There are millions of movies and television shows, I believe whatever I come up with -"

"I'm not saying to become a screenwriter and publish your love story - although I would watch it," Nicholas momentarily got lost in thought, but snapped back to the conversation, "What I mean is try to plan a date specifically tailored to you guys, without relying on wiping pancakes off your face or dancing in the rain."

"I don't like the rain," the teen responded matter-of-factly, then added on, "but I think I understand what you mean. I will start working again now, can you please leave?"

"Yep." he got up and started leaving the room, "Also Alex is coming over."

"I assumed he would." Matilda yelled behind her, already sitting at her desk again and looking at her phone and notebook. Okay, she had an idea of what to do...

* * *

The sun was starting to set, Matilda noticed nonchalantly. 

Meanwhile it has been about five minutes since Nicholas and Alex left in their car to go pick up Drea, making sure the seventeen year old was comfortable with everything for about ten minutes before doing so. Now she was anxiously sitting on a nearby bench and flapping her arms discreetly, constantly going over all the things around her and the script in her mind of how to go about this. A full three days of planning and replanning and replanning lead up to this, being able to find the right date area herself and talking to Nicholas about how the date will go making her feel much more confident about what's to come.

About five minutes later, Matilda saw her half-brother's car pull up again, so she quickly stood up to go over. 

Waving at her girlfriend through the backseat window, she opened the door for her and her service dog and asked, "Hello. Can I kiss you?"

"Yes. Starting now." Drea smiled back. They slowly but sweetly kissed for a few seconds, Matilda hearing the car drive away.

She broke the kiss and firmly took her girlfriend's hand, "You look great. Thank you for following the dress code."

"Thanks." Drea tugged at her long orange sleeves, "I was wondering why I needed to dress like this."

"Because I didn't want you to be cold, but I also didn't want to tell you where the date would be." She lead Drea over by the hand over to their area, silently hoping it would be enjoyable to her.

When they weaved through the little bit of trees and arrived at the spot, Matilda watched Drea's expression, not being able to read it.

She was impressed with how well she was able to construct the blanket fort with what little items she had. With only four wooden chairs, multiple large blankets and three pillows her half-brother and his boyfriend helped carry over, the teenager insisted she could assemble it herself, not wanting the two older men to take control of her date. A chair at each corner of a picnic blanket she laid down, a few thin blankets as the roof and walls, and the thicker blankets and the pillows laying down inside the fort made it look simple and great. But the final touch and the main centerpiece of the entire spot was the semi-large telescope. It peaked out from the inside through the small hole in her roof made to be a skylight window, making her very proud of her creative date design.

It was original, tailored to both of them and fun. Now all Matilda needed to know is if Drea would enjoy it.

She was still standing and staring at the fort until she finally spoke, "Is this where our date is?"

"Yes." Her voice wavered despite herself, "Is it okay?"

"Yes, it's amazing!" Now there was a smile on Drea's face, "Did you make it? Because I would feel awkward hanging out in someone else's fort."

Matilda said with a proud smile, "I made it by myself. You can go inside if you wish."

"Okay." Drea giggled and flapped her hands as she walked around the fort, Duke following her and sniffing the structure, the seventeen year old grinning at her girlfriend stimming happily, cheeks slightly warm. She and her dog entered through the curtain of blankets and Matilda followed, both settling into the small yet spacious area, Duke laying on Drea's left with Matilda on her right. Before Drea was going to say something, her eyes landed on the left of the entrance and saw a small basket.

"A picnic?" She asked and tilted her head slightly. Matilda nodded and moved the basket over to them, opening it and showing off the meal.

"I made a chef's salad and bread with shrimp, salmon, onions and a little bit of cream cheese for each of us. I also made a meat stew for Duke." Matilda pulled out the containers, the basket luckily keeping everything warm. She rattled off more about the date, trying to keep her anxiety at bay, hoping it was perfect for Drea, "I made sure the meals would be good for both of us, the fort makes a sensory heaven while also being far enough away from everyone else even though we're at a public park, the bathroom is close by, and I thought stargazing would be a nice visual stim. I wanted to make sure for our first official date it would be good."

Drea didn't respond immediately, only looking around and flapping her hands occasionally. She looked up, looked back down, Matilda waiting patiently to think of a response. She also felt the urge to stim nervously, but held it in. Her girlfriend finally looked at her face and asked quietly, "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes." Matilda smiled, quietly letting out a small breath.

Their kiss this time was much more passionate, both moving in tandem and holding each other tightly. When they broke apart for air, they looked at each other's faces for a bit with a smile on their face, not needing to look into each other's eyes to know what the other was thinking.

"Are we also going to have sex discreetly outside like what some couples do?" Drea asked bluntly.

The other girl didn't answer right away. Then, "I did think it would be daring, but I doubt we'll be completely unnoticeable."

"Agree."

Matilda turned away after that and moved to open her salad while Drea shifted one of the thick blankets onto their laps so they shared.

The meals were good, still a little cold and warm like how they were supposed to be. In between quiet eating moments was when they chatted with each other, mostly about their current activities and thoughts about random things. It was a kind of comfortable where they knew they could talk about whatever and not be judged if they have to repeat themselves or feel offended about something. It was something specifically for them, thus making them feel closer.

They finished their meals and Matilda looked at her phone, "It is 9:38pm. Nicholas and Alex will come to pick us up at 1am, so we have time to stargaze and make out."

"Okay, let me use the bathroom first." Drea replied back and left. Duke picked up his head from his bowl, then went back to eating. While Drea was away, Matilda let out a high-pitched squeal, feeling all her pride and love threatening to burst from her. Duke got up to check on her, but the teen slowly pushed him back to his bowl, trying to quiet herself down.

Drea came back as she packed back up the containers in the basket, her girlfriend moving over to the telescope and looking through it. Matilda also looked up through the skylight, but mostly stared at her girlfriend. Drea would describe one of the stars or the constellations she was looking at, then Matilda would use her phone to see if they can find the name of these. This went on through the night, interconnected with breaks where they made out, not wanting to move further less there was someone outside. Snuggled up in the blankets and laying on pillows, they mostly quietly laid down next to each other and watched the night sky, admiring the stars and each other like lovesick fools. 

When 1am was coming around, the girls worked together to pack up the fort and items, repeatedly kissing each other while doing the task and while they were in the back of Nicholas' car. Dropping off Drea, they kissed one more time for the night and Drea said, "Thank you again for the date. I want to plan the next one."

"Okay. Good night, I love you." Matilda waved.

"Love you too." Her girlfriend said back, leading Duke back into their home. With that, Nicholas, Alex and Matilda drove to their house, the teenager smiling to herself and not being able to stop.


End file.
